Red Andorian Silk
by larosesombre
Summary: As is typical, things start going wrong on DS9. Odo is on the job, only this time disaster hits a little too close to home. This fic is complete, but I will be uploading it slowly in chunks as I am still editing. There will be a new chapter every Wednesday and Saturday.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Odo slid into the bar quietly and took a seat at the counter. Resting one arm on the bar, Odo leaned back against itwatching Quark polishing a glass. The Ferengi hadn't noticed him yet, and Odo enjoyed seeing him with his guard down. He was humming to himself, standing over by where Morn was seated.

He was wearing something new today. Odo could never understand his need to dress up, but Quark loved clothes. He was always eager to show off his latest and most luxurious acquisition. He suddenly looked up and noticed Odo, and Odo thought he saw a brief smile slide across the Ferengi's face before it was replaced with one of annoyance.

"Come to bully me again?" Quark snapped.

"Nothing of the kind. I'm merely checking in."

"That'll be the day." Quark snorted, setting down the glass. "What do you want?"

Odo didn't have an excuse prepared, he really had just come in to be social. This was something he would never admit to, so he changed the subject. "I see you've got a new suit."

" It's Andorian silk." Quark seemed momentarily surprised, then his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I suppose you're going to ask how I paid for it. I assure you, it was through profits made honestly in the keeping of this establishment."

Odo wasn't going to bring that up, but now he would play along. "One can never be sure with you," he said snidely. "Red Andorian silk is quite expensive from what I've heard."

"Yeah, and I earned the latinum that paid for it. When will you get it through your goo-filled head that I am not a thief?"

"When you show me that you're worthy of earning my trust."

"Odo. If you're not ordering then get out of my bar."

Odo had stood to go. There was no point in staying any longer. All they did was bicker. Odo still suspected Quark of making shady deals, but he wasn't hanging around solely because of that. There was a reason Odo picked on him. He was keeping an eye on his well being all the time, using Quark's dishonest business deals as an excuse.

Odo had made his way back across the Promenade to his office where he took a seat in full view of the bar. He sat there for a while lost in thought. He was startled when a noise broke into his thoughts. Not a loud noise, but the sound of static. Looking over at the surveillance monitors he was startled to see the security feeds from around the station were down. Something was wrong with the surveillance cameras.

Odo tried a couple of things to bring them back online, but they weren't responding. Sighing he turned to go. He wanted to check on the cameras himself before he bothered anyone else about it.

Making his way out of the Promenade, Odo headed towards a camera in a nearby corridor. He'd rather check on a camera in private. There was no need to advertise to the entire station that the surveillance devices were malfunctioning. He was nearly to the camera when a noise stopped him in his tracks, demanding his attention.

It was coming from behind him, somewhere back in the direction of the Promenade. A faint rumbling, the arresting and unmistakable sound of an explosion.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is returning to read the second instalment! There are still a lot more chapters coming, and I am excited for you to see those too. My uploading schedule is Wednesdays and Saturdays. I'll see you then! - larosesombre**

There was a problem of some sort on the Promenade. That was enough to worry Odo in and of itself. There were far too many people there for a commotion to not create a threat, and besides, Quark was on the Promenade.

Odo wished it weren't the case, but as he turned to race towards the tidy line of shops where the explosion and cries had originated from he found that the only thing in his mind was the Ferengi.

Panic grabbed at him as he realized where the noise had come from. The smoke, the door blown clean off it's hinges. People were filing out in a stampede of sound, desperate to get away from whatever was happening inside the bar. Quark's bar.

Odo started running in earnest now, he shoved people aside to get in the ruined door. There was a thick cloud of smoke inside, and Odo began coughing as it permeated his being. He didn't breath it in so much as just soak it up, but all the same, he knew it was bad for him, his body beginning to reject it. Instinctively he dropped to the floor.

Was there a fire? Odo couldn't see one, there was just smoke. The place seemed empty now, and Odo crept along, low to the ground trying to see through the suffocating miasma. Nothing. Maybe Quark was outside already, he'd be in a fit over the cost of the damage. Odo almost chuckled as he pictured the Ferengi yelling at everyone who would listen about the loss of profits.

The chuckle was stifled when Odo spotted the counter. The bar itself had collapsed, spilling ruble over the floor. Smashed glasses and spilled synthale were spread around the immediate vicinity. The chunks of rubble were worryingly large. Ferengi crushingly large, Odo would bet. They had completely mangled the barstools and had fallen in behind the bar too. Frightened, Odo called out hoarsely "Quark?"

There was no answer. Hopefully he was outside then. "Quark, you'd better not be in here!" Odo managed before he began coughing again. He was about to turn away when he spotted a scrap of fabric under the bar. A reddish scrap of fabric, Andorian silk. Odo would recognize the patterning anywhere and his entire chest tightened terribly as he looked at it. Everything else was forgotten as he scrambled over twisted metal to reach it.

It took him only a couple minutes to work the scrap free. It was just that, a scrap. Quark was not here. Shaking with relief, Odo finally turned to go, scrap clutched tightly to his chest. As he exited the bar his combadge went off.

"Kira to Odo. What's happened? Do you require assistance?"

"Odo here. There was a disruption on the Promenade. There was an attack of some kind at Quark's, the bar is destroyed."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"It doesn't appear so, though I am still trying to find Quark."

"I'm coming down. I'll let the Commander know the circumstances."

Odo felt a slight amount of relief knowing that backup was on its way. He knew he wouldn't feel relaxed until he had found Quark and had ascertained that he was all right. He must be, he had to be, but Odo couldn't help himself from worrying, especially not after seeing the wreckage inside the bar.

His anxious eyes scanned the Promenade, combing the gathering crowd for the Ferengi. He spotted Rom nearby and made his way over to him. "What happened Rom?" Odo barked, grabbing Quark's brother by the elbow. "Where's Quark?"

"I don't know!" Rom sniveled. "I was just minding my own business over by the Dabo table when the yelling started, some men were attacking Quark!"

"Attacking? What happened Rom. Did you see where they went?" This wouldn't be the first time a customer had played rough with Quark, but it was certainly the first time anything of this scale had happened. Odo scanned the crowd once more, the panic he had felt inside the bar quickly mounting back up in his chest.

"I didn't see, that's when the explosion happened." Rom was crying a little. "I think they took Quark with them."

"Took him?" Odo practically roared. "While I was in there wasting time with the bar, they were kidnapping him?"

All Rom could do in response was blubber a little, cowering away from Odo in fear. Odo reached for his combadge. "This is Odo. Shut down all docking bays. No one leaves the station. Quark's been kidnapped."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

Leaving Rom to fill Kira in, Odo sprinted off in what he hoped was the correct direction. There was no way to tell, but Odo was determined to check everywhere. He glanced down at the scrap of silk still clenched in his hand. He had done a bad job, he hadn't been there when Quark needed it, but he wasn't going to let it go beyond that. Odo was determined to find Quark before anything serious happened to him.

Not that Odo wanted to imagine what "anything serious" would entail. When Odo pictured the people Quark had swindled, some pretty terrifying people sprang to mind. The thought of the Ferengi in the hands of any one of them would spell disaster. Even death.

Death. This, as much as Odo hated to admit it, was a very real possibility. He had thought of it when he'd seen the smoke, when he'd seen the mountain of debris that had once been the bar counter, and when he'd heard Rom's story. Whoever this was seemed ruthless, and Odo was terrified that he wouldn't be in time to save Quark.

He tried to reassure himself with the thought that they seemed to want him for something else. Why would they blow the bar up as a distraction, why not just kill him? They must want something from him. Odo just had to get there first.

The hallways of the station were dead quiet. People must have returned to their rooms. Odo couldn't remember if there had been an order for people to do so after he had alerted everyone, but there must have been.

"Sisko to Odo."

"Yes?" He knew he sounded impatient, but surely the Commander would forgive him.

"Where are you? We've been trying to reach you."

"Sorry, I'm looking for Quark. I don't have time to slow down."

"We've combed the left side of the station and are making our way through the right. No ships have left between the time of the explosion and now. No one transported out of the bar."

"Thank you. I'm in the docking ring."

"Odo."

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

Odo paused. He didn't want to answer that. He didn't have an answer. He felt vaguely nauseous. The crushing worry and panic were still there, and there was a faint aftertaste of what Odo was fairly certain could be classified as despair. "Yes."

"Be careful with yourself. I'm sending you back up. Major Kira is on her way."

"Thank you."

The docking ring was empty. Odo scanned the air-locks for any sign of movement. They couldn't have gone this way, it was deserted. Odo knew he was running out of places to look, and the sick feeling was back. A tingling and tightening of the chest, a pounding of the head. He felt wobbly and unsteady.

Odo paused for a moment to lean against a wall, attempting to compose himself. He was useless to Quark if he couldn't get a hold of these emotions. The Ferengi needed him, and he was too distraught to even stay solid.

He was suddenly jerked back to reality by the sound of footsteps. Major Kira rounded the corner towards him, concern evident in her face.

"Major. Any news?" He asked as she approached.

"I'm afraid not. You haven't found anything?"

"No. Nothing."

"Odo, are you alright?"

Why did everybody keep asking him that? Odo wasn't fine, he still felt awful and he had a feeling he would continue to until they found Quark, but it wasn't him they should be worrying about. "I'm fine. I'd prefer that we focus on Quark."

"Where do we still need to search?"

Odo paused for a moment to think about that. They had covered nearly all of the station by that point, and it was in their best interests to closely monitor all activity until Quark was found, but there was nowhere else to look. "We could go through peoples' rooms." He suggested. "I'm sure Commander Sisko would provide us with the necessary warrants."

"Sisko thought of that already. He's got everyone we can spare from necessary station functions out searching. We could go join them if you'd like."

Odo had already tried searching without a clear plan in mind. This wasn't going to work. "No. I'd rather go back to the bar and see what clues we can gather."


	4. Chapter 4

The smoke was being cleared out of the bar. Rom was already back inside, working with some other Ferengi to clear away rubble and set things right.

"Aren't you worried about your brother?" Kira asked, a tone of disdain evident in her voice. "Why are you working on the bar right now instead of helping us search?"

"'Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity!'" Rom quoted at them as he righted a toppled table. "Do you know how much business we'll lose if I don't get Rom's back up and running?"

"Rom's?" Odo hissed dangerously. "I'll have you know that I intend to protect Quark's interests until he returns, and that includes this bar."

"If he returns." Rom said, "Believe me, I love my brother, but I love profit more."

Odo was turning an odd shade of purple, something Kira wouldn't have even thought possible. She laid a warning hand on his shoulder. "Odo. Drop it, we can worry about this after we find Quark."

With great reluctance, Odo turned from the topic and proceeded to question Rom about the kidnapping a second time. All Rom could tell him was the same information he had imparted earlier. A re-examination of the bar told them nothing, even after Odo had called O'Brien down to look at it. There was nothing new to be learned there, and Odo left feeling crushed.

Summoned to Ops, Odo went to go and meet the Commander. He would be expected to give a report he was sure. Nothing else could be done now, though it stung to admit it. No, not stung. Ripped him apart from the inside.

Odo walked unsteadily into Ops, he could feel every set of eyes burning into him. The Commander's worst of all. Sisko looked concerned, and yet again Odo found himself confused. Why was he the object of their concern?

"Can I help you, Commander?"

"Odo, Major Kira has already reported details to me. We are conducting a thorough sweep of everyone's quarters, and you will be the first to know should we find anything."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Chief O'Brien has also filled me in on the explosive used. It is human made and was not designed to cause huge amounts of damage. It was likely just a distraction."

Odo nodded weakly. "An effective one. I got tied up digging in the wreckage while they were escaping."

"You can't blame yourself! You did what was natural, investigated the bar first. You -" Sisko broke off suddenly, causing Odo to look up. "What have you got in your hand Odo?"

Odo looked down, confused. He wasn't holding anything, was he? But there, clenched in his fist was the piece of Andorian silk. "It's Quark's, it was in the debris. I dug it free."

"May I see it?" Sisko held out a hand for the fabric. It took everything Odo had to convince himself to hand it over. Every part of his being ached to hold the scrap close. "It's been ripped, Odo. Are you sure this is all there was in the rubble?"

The idea hurt. The idea that perhaps Odo had left Quark buried under the rubble and had run off foolhardily with a scrap that he had assumed was all alone. Odo snatched the piece back from Sisko. "Yes. Rom told me..."

He didn't get to finish the thought before the intercom crackled to life. "This is Kira to Ops. Odo, I think you'd better come quickly. Commander, you too. We've found him."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm expecting to lose power tomorrow due to Hurricane Dorian, so here is my next chapter early. I wanted to get this up sooner than later because it's a heavy one, but I'm really excited for you all to see it. My thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by the hurricane. - larosesombre**

Odo took off at a running pace. He had to get there, had to see Quark, had to make sure he was alright. Kira hadn't said anything about his condition, but the note of urgency in her tone alarmed him.

It raised a horrible question. What if Quark wasn't alright? Odo pressed on, faster and faster to avoid thinking about it anymore. Rounding the corner at a sprint he suddenly came into full view of the Promenade. He slowed suddenlyas he spotted Dr. Bashir running towards him.

"Doctor?"

"Kira summoned me. Is it bad?"

"I don't know." It suddenly occurred to him that he hadn't asked for a location, he'd just started running towards the infirmary. "Where is he?" A sickening feeling took hold as he eyed the bar in front of them.

"In the bar," Bashir said, looking nearly incredulous that Odo didn't know. He hurried off towards it.

The silk in Odo's hand was scrunched even tighter as the significance dawned on him. The Commander was right. Rom had lied to him, and while they had been out searching the station Quark had been dying under a pile of rubble. The real distraction had been the kidnapping all along.

Commander Sisko finally caught up with him, and wheezing slightly, put a hand on Odo's shoulder. "Are you going in?" He panted.

Odo wasn't sure if he was. He didn't think he could bring himself to. But Quark was in there. Quark needed him, and so he forced himself to take steps over the threshold of the bar.

The lights were out inside, something Odo hadn't noticed before. Blown out by the explosion probably. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air still, though it didn't clog the room as it had earlier. Much of the furniture had been righted, Rom's previous attempts probably, and some of the debris had been moved. Odo supposed that Rom had shifted some of it while cleaning and that was how they had made the discovery.

A nagging doubt crept into Odo's mind. Why would Rom be the one to find Quark if he wanted them to think he'd been kidnapped? Odo pushed it aside as his eyes adjusted to the lighting and he took several shaky steps towards Kira.

It occurred to him that she was crying. This worried him. She was also clawing at some of the wreckage in an attempt to move it. Bashir was beside her, he had gone pale and was also struggling with a piece of twisted metal from the bar. Rom was standing by, white as a sheet. An unhealthy, unnatural colour for a Ferengi.

An all-encompassing feeling of dread began to eat away at Odo as he drew closer to them. It wrapped itself around him, smothering him in waves of fear as he knelt beside Dr. Bashir and spotted what they were trying to free.

There was a small, Ferengi sized hand sticking out from under the rubble pile. It was cut and bruised and undoubtedly belonged to Quark. Odo blinked hard as the room began to spin a little. He sat down hard, looking up in shock at the ceiling. He couldn't bring himself to meet anyone else's eyes.

He could hear Sisko talking as if underwater. The Commander sounded distraught. He was pulling at a chunk of rubble. Urgently requesting backup probably. He could hear Bashir shouting something about trying to find a pulse, and Kira was just crying and resolutely ripping at the wreckage.

There was a roaring in his ears, blocking out all other sounds. Odo had to physically force himself out of his trance. Turning to Kira he whispered, "What can I do?"

"Help me dig him out." She panted.

Odo did. The jagged chunks of metal from the bar were big and dangerous, but they weren't that numerous. Quark was free of the rubble in a matter of minutes, and Odo dove for him, cradling his body as he lifted him out of the mess on the floor.

Bashir crouched down beside them. He felt for a pulse and examined Quark with a medical tricorder. Odo watched him intently. "Is he alright?" he managed when Dr. Bashir pulled back. To his surprise, or maybe he'd been expecting it all along, there were tears in Bashir's eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Odo. We... we were too late."

"No."

"He's dead, Odo."

There was a wail from Rom. Kira was crying into the Commander's jacket now, and both Sisko and Bashir were crying silently, staring down at Odo where he was still holding Quark's body. Odo drew Quark in closer and bent down, pressing his face against Quark's own bruised one. Forehead to forehead he stayed like that, knowing that he was being watched and not caring.

Odo stayed that way for hours. Holding Quark until he felt numb. Until it was nighttime, and everyone else had retired to their quarters to be alone with their grief. Odo finally released Quark's body when the medical team came to collect it to place it in stasis.

And for a long time after, Odo sat on the floor of the bar. Staring down at the scrap of silk in his hands.

**A/N: Sorry! I might be slightly evil... that or I enjoy angst a bit too much.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Just some sadness. This chapter focuses mainly on Odo and Kira being sad, and also mentions that people on the station seem aware of Odo's feelings for Quark. Perhaps more aware than Odo is himself. This is a theme that I may revive in a later fic. Stick with me, I promise it won't stay sad forever! - larosesombre**

Odo stayed in the security office that night, in a spare bucket. Across from the bar, right where he was used to being to keep an eye on Quark. Not that he needed to keep an eye on Quark anymore. When morning came, Odo resumed his humanoid form and picked up the red silk from where he'd left it on the desk. He moved for the door, meaning to find Major Kira.

Something had set off the explosion that had killed Quark. Odo intended to find out what had happened and who was responsible. Bringing them to justice wouldn't bring Quark back, but it was closure of some kind.

Odo found Kira in her quarters. Her eyes were puffy and red. She hugged Odo as he entered, and Odo found himself hugging her back.

"Are you okay, Odo?" she whispered into his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," he said back, somewhat stiffly.

Kira pulled back. She gazed searchingly into Odo's eyes with her own red ones. "Odo," Kira whispered after a few moments silence. "There's no shame in feeling."

"I know" he replied, somewhat sullenly. "I'll be fine." Odo could have said that he was sad. Kira would have understood that, but he worried that if he said anything else to her he would open up completely and that would not be acceptable. Crashing waves of pain smashed into him every time he thought of Quark. The feelings of despair and grief were so strong that Odo thought he might drown in them. But he could hardly tell Kira that.

"We're going to have the funeral soon," Kira said softly, stepping back away from Odo. "Sisko thought we should do it sooner than later. You know Ferengi customs, they want the body back soon for their disgusting memorabilia. If we want to have a decent ceremony we have to act now."

It would always be too early for this funeral. Odo knew he wouldn't be ready for it no matter what, and he almost felt it would be better to get it over with fast. "When?"

"I'll let you know," Kira said. She was tearing up again, and Odo couldn't bring himself to comfort her right then. He had to focus all his attention on not exploding, or throwing himself out an airlock, or transforming into a table and never turning back. He just wanted to be anywhere else but there, so he excused himself and left.

Odo found himself wandering the halls of the station. A lot of people were in dressed for mourning, and it surprised Odo how many people cared. It seemed that Quark had as many friends as he had enemies. Odo supposed that running the only bar probably helped his case.

Odo was more surprised by the number of people who stopped and looked at _him_ sympathetically. He couldn't figure out why. Sure he cared. A great deal, but apart from his weakness last night he did a good job covering it. So why were they all staring?

Surely they couldn't know how he felt? There was no way they could. He hadn't told anyone how he really felt about Quark, and yet here they were. Staring at him like he was the one who suffered the most from this tragedy. Odo was inclined to agree with them, he felt physically ill at the mere thought of what had happened.

His combadge went off suddenly, jolting him from his reverie. "This is Bashir. We have an emergency in the stasis room. I repeat, an emergency in stasis."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

Quark was down there, and Odo had a terrible feeling that this had to do with him. Even when dead, Quark couldn't get any peace, and Odo wasn't going to have it. The least that he could do now was protect Quark's body since he had failed every other part of him.

Odo hurried through the infirmary to the stasis room. He paused just outside. Commander Sisko was there already, he was arguing loudly with Bashir. "What do you mean gone? What am I supposed to tell everyone? What am I supposed to tell Odo?"

"I'm sorry Commander. I don't have an explanation, but the body is gone."

Odo felt horror settle in. He had failed at this too then. Someone, for some reason, had taken Quark's body. Odo clutched the silk tighter in his fist.

"Frankly, I don't think it was ever here in the first place." O'Brien cut in. He was standing to the left of Commander Sisko holding an oddly shaped object. "I think what I've got here is a projector. We could be dealing with a hologram."

"Impossible! This makes no sense! Who would want to fake Quark's death?" Sisko's voice boomed. It was at this point that Odo stepped forwards.

"What's happening?"Odo asked softly.

The three men swung round. Odo cringed at the looks on their faces. Clearly, they didn't want to tell him. Odo couldn't understand why they were tip-toeing around him so much.

"I'm afraid the body is gone." Dr. Bashir said matter of factly, looking kindly into Odo's eyes. "We don't know how that happened, or when**. **But I'm afraid it's disappeared."

"I believe it may have been a hologram." Chief O'Brien added. "I found a projector on the floor of the bar. It's possible that the signal was too weak once the stasis chamber closed around it. The projector may just have turned itself off."

"Can they do that?" Odo asked, he wasn't fully listening, just staring at the empty space where the body was supposed to be.

"A projector of this kind? Yes."

"But why?" Commander Sisko asked sharply. "Why would anyone want this?"

"That's what we have to find out. Also, if that was a projection, we still have to find the real Quark."

That got Odo's attention. There was a chance then that Quark was still alive. A chance, even if it was just a tiny sliver of hope, was still immensely better than what Odo had been faced with last night. "You mean..."

"Yes. He may still be alive."

Anything was better than spending the rest of eternity without Quark. "Where should we start looking?"

"We'll do another sweep of the ship. Someone notify Major Kira, we're going to begin the hunt all over again. I'll start inquiries into the projector."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has been following my story! I love being able to share it with you all. If you like my writing and are into Harry Potter at all, I've been working on a fic for that fandom in partnership with a friend. I encourage you to go check it out, it's a lot of fun. Definitely more light-hearted than what's been going on over here (sorry). It's called **_**The Feline Blunder **_**\- larosesombre**

Odo had spent the entire day questioning Rom in the security office. Rom had talked him round in circles, not letting out any more information than he had earlier. Odo finally had enough, stepping outside to clear his head he ran into Chief O'Brien.

"Odo, is Rom still in there?"

"Yes."

"May I speak with him? I have some questions about the projector. We've been able to identify it as Bajoran components, the design isn't Bajoran in make though."

"Have you confirmed that there was a hologram?" Odo asked. "I'd like to be certain it was before I continue investigating, and I did find a scrap of silk from Quark's suit that appears to be solid."

"We've been able to run the program again. Not something you'd want to see, I'm sure. It's a high-grade projector, the hologram was solid and seemed physical, but disappeared when we turned off the device or moved it out of range. That silk you found may be real, but the body certainly wasn't. I'd like to ask Rom how the projector ended up in the bar."

"I doubt he can tell you anything. He's been repeating the same story since this all started." Odo felt immensely relieved at the confirmation. If it was a hologram then Quark could still be alive, and that was all Odo wanted.

They entered the security office and found Rom still sitting huddled at the desk. He looked up at them, pressing his wrists together in submission. "I swear, I had nothing to do with this!" He whimpered as O'Brien came over to him.

"I'm not accusing you, Rom. I just want to ask you some questions about what happened." Odo took a seat, he had been over all of this before. "Can you tell me when you first realized something was wrong?"

Odo had an intense feeling that Rom was lying, but it was the same story he had heard over and over and he couldn't get anything else out of the Ferengi. "I heard shouts." Rom sniffled. "A couple of men dragged Quark over the counter and took off with him. As they left the bar exploded, it didn't seem like anyone was hurt, but there was a lot of smoke as we left."

"Did you look for Quark when you came out?"

"No. I was too upset to think straight."

"So what did you think when we discovered the body later?"

Rom started crying a little harder. "I didn't know! I thought they had taken him with them, I didn't think he was still in there. I didn't want to kill him!"

Odo suddenly snapped to attention. This was new. "You didn't want to kill him? What do you mean? Why would you think that you might be responsible for what happened?" He was standing now, towering over Rom.

"No reason! I swear, it wasn't me!"

"Rom, if I find out that you are lying to me, I will rip your ears off and-" Odo was interrupted by O'Brien who placed a steadying hand on his arm.

"Sit down, Odo. I still need to ask him about the projector. You can rip his ears off after I'm finished." Rom was shaking now, cowering away from them both. "Rom. We found a projector in the bar. The body was a hologram. Can you tell me how this might of got into the bar?"

"What?" Rom was looking up now, a little more bravely than before. "You mean he isn't dead? I didn't kill him?"

Odo nearly shot to his feet again, but a warning glance from O'Brien shut him up. "Now, why would you think that you had killed him in the first place Rom?"

"Did I say that? I meant I'm relieved that wasn't Quark."

"As are we. You have no idea why someone might have planted this in the bar?"

"No." For once, Odo could tell that Rom wasn't lying. He did seem genuinely confused by the projector. "I don't know."

"But you said you didn't mean to kill him. Am I to assume that you had something to do with what happened?" Odo growled.

"I swear, I don't know." The Ferengi whined. "I've never seen that projector before, I didn't know those men, this wasn't my idea!"

Odo paused. Bending down he looked Rom right in the eyes. "Rom, if you don't tell me what is going on, then your brother is going to die. And I am going to see to it that you are held personally responsible." There was a dangerously soft tone in his voice. He had been at this all day, who knew it would take O'Brien and his projector to worm the truth out of Rom.

Rom paused for a moment, looking between the two of them. Then he burst into tears. "I didn't want anything really bad to happen to him. Just maybe a little bad." He blubbered. "They offered to take care of it for me."

"Take care of what?" Odo demanded. He was so close to the truth now. He felt waves of fear wash over him as he held onto Rom's next words.

"Some men. They offered to take Quark. They said they had business to settle with him. I agreed to help them, I planted the explosives. It was to create a distraction while they escaped. They said I would get the bar. They reminded me it would be profitable."

"But you didn't know about the projector?" O'Brien asked.

"No. That wasn't supposed to happen. It scared me."

"It scared us too." O'Brien sighed. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the men? Anything at all?"

"No. They didn't show their faces." Rom sniffled, scrubbing tears away with a sleeve.

"Quark could be anywhere by now!" Odo snapped. "Why did you keep this from me?"

"Scared." Rom hiccuped.

Leaving Rom with O'Brien, Odo got up and crossed the promenade to the bar. They must have left out the back entrance. He'd start from there and try again to find Quark.


	9. Chapter 9

Odo was wandering the corridors again. It was getting late, but Odo wasn't finished. If he stopped for the night he would have to come to terms with the fact that it had been two days since Quark had disappeared. The longer they went without finding Quark, the more likely it was that he would be dead when they did find him.

If they ever found him. There were only so many places where you could hide on a space station, and Odo was beginning to think that he wasn't on the station anymore at all.

Odo stopped for a moment, leaning on a wall with his eyes screwed shut. He needed to regenerate soon. He was feeling wobbly and tired. Forcing himself to stand back up, Odo continued down the corridor. His combadge went off as he did so.

"Sisko here. Odo, you'd better come down to the holding cells. We've found the men."

Odo froze. "Is Quark with them?"

"I'm afraid not. You'd better come and see for yourself."

"I'm on my way." What could this mean? They'd found the men but not Quark. That was worrying.

Odo went flying through the corridors, rushing through his office to the holding cells on the other side.Everyone was gathered around one. Sisko and Kira were both there. As was O'Brien who was keeping hold of a rather distraught and fearful Rom. There were three men inside the cell. Two appeared to be humans, the other was a Bajoran.

Odo came over to where they were all standing. "Where did you find them?" he asked as Sisko looked up.

"They were down in the storage bay. Major Kira found them."

But not Quark. "Have they told you anything?"

"I've tried to get something out of them. All they'll say is that they don't know where he is. They don't want to answer any questions."

"I'll see about that," Odo growled. He marched over to the forcefield and glowered in at the men. "Did Rom hire you?"

"Yes." The Bajoran replied sullenly.

"Not true!" Rom shrieked. "They asked me for my assistance."

"What did you want with Quark?"

The men shuffled a little, looking at each other. Finally one of the humans spoke. "He made us a bad deal in the past. Cost us some latinum. We just wanted even."

"Even? You kidnapped him, and made us think he was dead over latinum?"

"It wasn't a small amount. He cost us a fortune. Look, this is none of your business."

Odo could feel his temper boiling over. "None of my business? I'm the head of security on this station, and as such, I don't take too kindly to any of my civilians going missing. Where is Quark?"

"We don't know. We were going to mess him up a bit, maybe kill him after he'd gotten us the latinum, but he escaped. We've been looking for him."

"So have we. Was he hurt at all?"

"Yeah, we knocked him around a bit. He couldn't have gone far."

Odo had retreated into his mind, frantically thinking it over again and again. They had taken Quark and faked his death to get him off the station. They wanted the latinum, so they were keeping him alive until he was no longer useful. He was alive, then, if they were telling the truth. Alive, but injured.

Where would Quark go if he was fleeing for his life? Where was he that they hadn't been able to find him for the past couple days? Odo didn't know, but he certainly wasn't going to give up until he did.


	10. Chapter 10

They were back in Ops. Sisko was making arrangements for a trial for the kidnappers. Rom was in a holding cell, although Odo felt sure they would let him go with a warning. He had simply been following Ferengi code and was clearly regretful and scared.

There was a crowd of them all discussing where Quark could have gone. The urgency that had been felt earlier was dissipating somewhat. They knew Quark was alive, and with that knowledge, some of the pain and fear had been lifted. Odo was still worried though, the image of a hurt and terrified Quark cowering in some vent was upsetting to him.

"We could check storage again." Kira offered. "That's where the men were hiding out."

"The security net is down so we can't scan for him, but I've had all the vents and manual access ports searched. He's not in there." O'Brien said. "You may be right about the storage bays, Major."

"Security feeds are disrupted." This came from Dax. "I've been working with them over the past couple of days, the kidnappers made sure that our surveillance would be offline before they did anything."

Odo suddenly remembered the sound of the static filling his office. He had known about the security cameras and had failed to tell anyone. Perhaps if he had called for backup right away they would have discovered the threat sooner.

"We've checked all the crews quarters, right Odo?"

"Odo?"

Odo snapped back to attention suddenly. "Hmm?"

"Odo, you need to rest. You're exhausted."

"I'm not."

"Go to your quarters and lie down." It was Sisko. He had finished in his office and was walking over to them now. "That's a direct order Odo."

With no choice left, Odo turned and made his way back to his quarters. Kira promised she would let him know if they found anything, and with this reassurance, Odo entered the room and made his way over to the bucket behind his desk.

Odo flowed into his bucket and lay there, resting. However his mind continued busily to chip at the problem at hand.

Where would Quark feel safe? Where would he have gone?

A sudden noise from the back of the room surprised Odo where he lay in his bucket.

Where would Sisko and the others not think to check?

Where had he not thought to check?

Where would Quark feel safe?

Suddenly it all started to make sense. No one would check there, why would you check the rooms of the chief of security? There was no reason to suspect that Quark would be there, he didn't have the clearance to get in the doors. Odo hadn't even thought to check, and he hadn't been back to his rooms since before the commotion had started.

But of course Quark would have ways to access higher levels of security clearance. Odo began to rise out of the bucket, ears perking up as he heard the noise again. "Quark?" He called. His voice sounded odd, each word laced with a kind of tentative hope. "Quark, is that you?"

Solid again, Odo took a cautious step towards the sound. It was coming from his empty closet. Suddenly, mind made up he was across the room in a single stride, practically yanking the closet door from its hinges as he ripped it open.

"Quark!" The Ferengi was curled up inside, eyes shut, face pale. There was a jagged rip in the front of his jacket. Odo knelt beside him, quickly scanning the room for another projector as he felt for a pulse. There was no projector, and the pulse came through. Weak, but still there. "Quark, say something. Tell me you're alright."

Quark was unresponsive. But he was alive, and that was what mattered to Odo as he gathered him up into his arms. This was Quark, the real Quark, and Odo was not going to let anything happen to him again.

"This is Odo. Two to beam to the infirmary."

**Look who's back! See, I promised it wouldn't be sad forever. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Although the end isn't here yet. There is definitely a bit more drama on the way... -larosesombre**


	11. Chapter 11

Odo was hovering anxiously by Quark's biobed, watching Dr. Bashir examine him. "How is he?"

"He's hurt and weak, but he'll be alright. You found him in time."

"I should have found him sooner," Odo said softly, staring at the Ferengi's bruised face. "He was counting on me to find him there and I didn't, not for nearly three days."

"But you did find him, and he's going to be just fine. I promise."

"Odo, you can't blame yourself." Odo spun round to see Commander Sisko entering the infirmary. "You've been out looking for him. You've been doing everything in your power to find him. If anyone is at fault it's me for not running a thorough examination of officers' quarters."

"No, Commander I-"

"Enough Odo. Quark wouldn't want you to blame yourself. Now, . What's the damage?"

"Blunt object trauma. They hit him, kicked him around. There is trauma to the head, hopefully nothing too serious, it's hard to tell at this stage. I'm treating him for a concussion. There are bruises, both minor and severe to-"

Odo stopped listening. He didn't want to hear this. Instead, he took a seat by the side of the bed and almost unconsciously picked up Quark's hand from where it lay by his side. He stayed like that, long after Sisko had left.

There was a sense of relief that came with knowing that Quark would be alright, but the feelings of panic, despair, fear and pure anguish that had been with him for the past three days were replaced by new sensations that were also uncomfortable. There were sorrow and regret for letting this happen, for letting Quark lie there alone for so long. There was also burning anger. Rage, at the men who had done this. But Odo was also shocked to find some of this anger aimed at Quark himself. Maybe if he didn't do so many idiotic things, he wouldn't end up in situations like this. Wouldn't end up on his back on a biobed, bruised and bloodied and battered.

"Damn it Quark." Odo whispered, "When you come round, I'm going to give you a piece of my mind."

When Quark came round, Odo was still sitting there. He was staring off absentmindedly but suddenly looked down alertly as Quark began to move. Quark blinked a few times, then looked down at his hand which was still wrapped in Odo's. A look of confusion flashed across his face but was quickly followed up with a small grin of satisfaction that made Odo quite uneasy. Odo quickly withdrew his hand and placed it in his lap, interlocking it with the other one.

"You're awake. How do you feel?"

Quark shut his eyes again. "Terrible." He moaned. "I feel awful."

"You're lucky I found you. Do you remember what happened?"

"Unfortunately, yes. How did I end up here?"

"We looked for a few days. I'll tell you everything later, but after a long process, I found you on the floor in my quarters. Why were you in there?"

"Thought you might help me," Quark said softly. "I was scared."

Odo looked down at him in surprise. Then his expression softened. He could get mad at Quark later. "So was I. I was worried about you."

"Hah!" Quark laughed, then immediately broke off coughing. Odo watched in alarm, but Quark composed himself quickly. "Guess I can't laugh." He panted. "Hurts too much."

"I'll get Dr. Bashir. Hang on." Odo stood to go, but to his surprise Quark put a hand on his arm.

"Don't. Just stay."

"Quark?"

"I don't want you to go."

Odo sank back down beside Quark. "Then I guess we have time for me to tell you what's been happening." He said softly, he suddenly remembered the scrap of Andorian silk, tucked away in a pocket he'd added to his uniform. Pulling it free he handed it to Quark. "I believe this is yours."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry! This is going up almost a day late. Things just got a little hectic. I'm back on track now, so here it is. - larosesombre **

It had been several days since Quark had been admitted to the infirmary. He was getting much better, the bruises fading with each passing day. Unfortunately, the healthier he got the angrier he got. "Let me leave! I want to get out of here. Every day I'm in here is a day I'm missing out on an incredible business deal!"

It was all Bashir and Odo could do to keep him on bed rest. Finally, Bashir had had enough. "Fine. You're discharged. Don't come crying to me if you injure yourself again."

Odo had followed Quark out, he walked with him in silence as they headed towards the bar at a quick pace. Odo suddenly wished he'd thought to have it repaired, they could have all chipped in. It could have and should have been up and running by the time Quark was discharged, but he hadn't thought to arrange that.

All he could do was make sure he caught Quark when he fainted, which, Odo thought grimly, was probably going to happen when he saw the damage and calculated the cost.

As they neared the bar, Odo found himself growing suspicious. The door was back on its hinges. He seemed to remember it lying on the ground nearby, a twisted wreck. It looked fine now, and Odo shrugged it off. He'd probably been too distraught to notice. Quark fumbled in his pocket for the key, and let them in. "Lights up." He said as they entered.

Odo was expecting the damaged lights to malfunction as they had earlier. Much to Odo's surprise, the lights did come on, illuminating a clean and immaculate bar. The wreckage had been cleared, tables and chairs righted, and every broken bottle that had littered the floor had been cleared away, and from the looks of the counter, replaced. Odo froze in his tracks, shocked by the complete transformation.

Quark whirled round to look at him. Eyes wide in wonder. "Did you do this?" All Odo could do was shake his head. "I thought the place got blown up, but it's better than when I left!" Quark exclaimed. He turned back around and began walking towards the counter, suddenly, in unison, several figures jumped up from behind it.

"Surprise!"

Odo had to physically restrain himself from launching towards Quark to protect him. He quickly morphed into a blob on the floor. Blobs didn't have legs and therefore couldn't embarrass themselves by jumping in the way of non-existent threats.

"We fixed the bar!" It was Dax. She was beaming. "It was Rom's idea, to say sorry for everything.

"Who paid for this?" Quark asked, sincerely hoping he hadn't.

"We had a fundraiser," Sisko said cheerfully. "A lot of people from around the station have helped to rebuild the bar."

"Everyone agrees that Quark's is the social hub of the station, it was the least we could do to repay you for that." Major Kira was also smiling.

No one was looking at Odo, something he was quite glad for as he sheepishly transformed back into himself. While he had been busy hovering over Quark, their friends had been rebuilding the bar. Even Rom, who had either realized that it was profitable to stay in his brother's good books, or felt guilty for what had happened.

He couldn't have felt as guilty as Odo. There was still that feeling of having let Quark down. When he saw how their friends had rallied to rebuild the bar, Odo suddenly felt even more strongly that he had failed Quark.

Odo didn't like this feeling, it sat very uncomfortably in his chest. Instead, he latched onto the other feeling that was burning alongside it. Rage. The men responsible for this would still be down in the holding cells awaiting their trial, and Odo quietly slipped out of the bar. It was time he paid them a little visit.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So... this is the second-last chapter. The last one will be going up Wednesday. I have some more things in the works, but it might be a while before they show up. Hopefully everyone has been enjoying this story! I can't wait for you all to read the last part next week. Everything gets resolved nicely. But for now, sit back and enjoy a little bit more drama. Also, Odo is a little ooc for this chapter, but I'm going to claim artistic license... - larosesombre**

The men looked up as Odo entered the holding bay. "I heard you found the little troll." The Bajoran sneered at him. "Tell him we'll get even with him eventually."

"No," Odo said, letting the force field down. "You'll never touch him again, not so long as I'm around."

The men seemed confused, was he letting them go? One of the humans stepped forward. "Are you releasing us? Don't care what happens to the gremlin after all then."

Within seconds Odo had pounced on him and had knocked him flat on his back.

"What are you doing?" The Bajoran yelled, roughly pushing Odo off his companion. "Isn't this a breach of Starfleet protocol? You can't just knock prisoners around!"

"Who's to stop me?" Odo growled. He flew at the man, hitting him hard as he pictured Quark, crumpled on the floor of his closet. Hitting even harder as he pictured the hologram that had been designed to look like Quark, lying dead. Crushed under piles of rubble.

Soon all three of the men were unconscious on the ground, but Odo kept kicking at them. Not caring what damage he did, just wanting to take out his anger and guilt out on the only other people he could blame. He didn't stop until he felt hands on his arm, grabbing onto him and pulling him back. Quark, yelling at him.

"Odo! Snap out of it! What do you think you're doing?"

"Quark?"

"You can't just do that! You'll get in trouble. You're going to kill somebody if you keep this up." The Ferengi was breathing hard, his eyes full of concern as he looked up at Odo. "Are you alright?"

"Why did you stop me?"

For a moment Quark looked like he was struggling with his answer. Odo half expected something about profits to come out of his mouth, so Quark's response caught him by surprise. "Because I care about you. I don't want you kicked off the station for miscarriage of justice. Or worse, tried for murder." Quark was pulling him away from the men, hands firmly planted on Odo's wrists. "I followed you from the bar. I knew something was wrong when I saw you sneak off."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

"Then do you want to tell me why you're beating the living daylights out of those three?"

It was a good question. Odo paused to think about it. For revenge? Yes. But that wasn't all. Odo knew why he'd done it. He'd been taking his guilt over what had happened out on these men. He wasn't about to tell Quark that. "I was angry with them." He offered instead.

"No. You wouldn't do that just for revenge. What's eating at you?" Quark pressed. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

"No."

"Come on Odo. You can tell me." Quark was looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. It was disturbing, and yet Odo felt himself soften. Quark deserved the truth. It was the only thing he could offer by way of apology for letting this all happen.

"I was angry with myself. I suppose I was trying to take it out on them."

"With yourself? Why?" Quark was still looking up at him.

"I let you down Quark." He managed. "I wasn't there when you needed me to be, and you got hurt because of it. I thought you were dead, and I will never forget what that felt like."

"You were worried," Quark said softly. Odo was faintly annoyed to see the Ferengi smiling. "I made you worry!"

"You needn't sound so gleeful," Odo muttered.

"Odo, listen to me. It wasn't your fault. I chose your quarters to hide in for a reason. Much as I hate to admit it, it goes against my values to even think this, I hid there because I trust you. None of this was your fault. You're the one who saved me. If it's anyone's fault, it's my own for getting involved with those three in the first place."

"You really should be more careful."

"I know. And I will be, after all: 'you can't make a deal if you're dead'." Odo chuckled at this. Still the same old Quark, then. "Listen Odo, I don't blame you, so don't blame yourself."

Odo nodded. He still felt a little sting of guilt, he had a feeling that was there to stay, but the crushing feeling he'd felt moments before was gone. "Thank you Quark." He looked back at the three men. "What do I do about them?"

"What I would do. Lie."

"I can't do that! That would be-"

"Dishonest? Listen, do you want to get in trouble for this? They deserved it, but you're not going to get away with it Odo."

It went against Odo's moral code, but he didn't see what else he could do. Maybe he'd open up to Sisko about it privately later. He was sure the Commander would understand and only punish him nominally. "Odo to the infirmary. We have three wounded men in a holding cell. They started a fight amongst themselves, they're pretty badly bruised."


	14. Chapter 14

**Well, here it is. The final chapter: **

They left the men with a Bajoran nurse and a team of security officers. They were walking back to the bar, and Odo found himself focusing on where Quark was, next to him, walking close by. He was startedas he suddenly felt a hand press into his.

"Quark?" He whispered.

"Odo?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just what you were doing when I woke up," Quark said innocently. "Why were you holding my hand then Odo?"

"I was worried about you. I believe that is an appropriate way to show support for somebody who is ill." Odo wasn't going to tell him how he felt. Opening up about the guilt he had been feeling had been hard enough. He had no desire to confess more private feelings.

"Don't lie to me, Odo. You're terrible at it." Odo had a feeling that Quark knew exactly what was going on. There was a nasty possibility that he was going to bully Odo into voicing it.

"I was worried about you." Odo insisted.

"Yes, but what else." Quark could see he was getting nowhere, so he quickly followed it up with "Odo, am I to understand that you have feelings for me?" They had stopped walking now, Quark's hand was still in his and Odo was beginning to feel very warm and uncomfortable.

Odo contemplated saying yes. He contemplated kissing Quark. He had a million possibilities, but instead, he did the worst thing possible. He transformed into a chair in the hopes that Quark would go away.

He didn't. Instead, Quark sat on him. "I'm not getting up until you confess. You like me, don't you?"

Odo supposed he could just wait for Quark to leave, but who knew how long that would be. Ferengi are stubborn. Sighing, he began to transform back. It looked like he had no choice but to tell Quark how he felt. It wouldn't be that difficult, would it?

Quark jumped back as Odo turned back into his humanoid body. "Had enough already?" he asked. There was still mischief sparkling in his eyes.

Odo stared deep into the eyes of his 'nemesis'. The friendly enemy that he had harboured secret feelings for, probably he admitted now, since he had first met him. "You made me say it Quark. Yes."

"Yes you've had enough, or yes you like me?"

"Don't be such a child. Yes, I like you."

"Who's the child? You just transformed into a chair to get out of-" Quark was cut off by Odo suddenly moving closer and leaning down to kiss him. His eyes flew wide in surprise, then he leaned into it.

When they pulled apart he had a crooked grin on his face. "If you tell anyone we did that, I will kill you."

"Likewise," Odo said, feeling happy again for the first time since the beginning of this ordeal. No, not happy. Lighter than air. "But Quark..."

"Yes?"

"Let's do it again sometime, yeah?"

Quark was still grinning. "Of course, you pile of goo."

Arm in arm they turned towards the bar to rejoin their friends who were waiting for them.

**THE END**

**Hopefully, you all enjoyed the story! If you want more, there is a short piece coming out Monday that is just a fun, fluffy little story. Apart from that, there is something bigger underway that will get posted eventually. It will have more angst and drama, but since I'm a wimp, another happy ending. **

**Thank you for sticking with my story until the end! - larosesombre**


End file.
